Sunday, December 4, 2011

Our Thankfulness Tree

This year we made a Thankfulness Tree in the month of November. We gathered up some sticks from our backyard and arranged them in an old Mason jar. I cut out the leaves on my Silhouette. I printed this thankfulness art from this website for in the jar. I kept it simple. I left the blank leaves a the base of the "tree" contained in an upside-down lid and kept a fine-point Sharpie right next to it. We had a tradition of doing our Thankfulness tree during mealtime (hence lots of meal-related items from some people). I got a kick out of what each person chose. The theme you find in each persons' list shows a lot about their personality and age. I tried not to discourage any suggestions, just merely intentionally duplicating our previous answers. But we all had duplicates. This was so much fun! We may not wait till next November to do our next Thankfulness Tree.

I'll let the answers do the rest of the speaking...

Our 6-year-old daughter:

Art

Beds

Books

Chapstick

Clothes

Cups

Dirty dishes (because otherwise the table would get very dirty at mealtime)

Exercise

Food (twice!)

For a sister

Grandmas

Lights (twice!)

Napkins

Our house

Phones

Piano

Raising hands

Reading

Sending my OCC box (Operation Christmas Child)

That I had a good birthday (twice!)

That Jesus died on the cross

That we have the freedom to do OCC

Toys

Wasn’t sick on first day of school

Water

Windows

Our 9-year-old daughter:

A dog

A piano teacher

Army and Navy

Astronauts

Aunts and uncles

Cars

Doctors

Energy

Family

Food

For having my ears pierced

Friends

Games

Gasoline

Go Fish Guys

Jesus, for coming

Milk

Money

Our garden

Parents

Plastic

Radios

Restaurants

School

Science

Tape

Teachers

The Bible

Wood

My husband:

Artwork

Bed with mattresses

Bible Study group

Cars, for traveling

Church family (twice!)

Garage cleaning

Happy family

Having a job

Health

Internet

Jesus, my Lord and Savior

[our 6 and 9 year old daughters]

Lights

Means and gifts to help others

Medicine

Mommy

Progress on basement

Season changes

Skills God has given us

Sparky

Technology

Warm home

Warm home on cold winter nights

Weekends with family (twice!)

Working from home

Myself:

A gracious God

Family Traditions J

Food

For [our 6-year old]

For Daddy

For [our 9-year-old]

God provided enough for us to give to others

Health

Music

My creativity

Operation Christmas Child

Our garden

Our good friends

Reliable vehicles

Safety

Supportive friends

Technology

That Auntie Robin’s sister had a healthy baby

That Daddy works so hard for our family

That I could be a SAHM

That I found Boggle at the thrift store

That my kids are happy and healthy

That the Gyro meat was on sale!

That this generation of young people know what a true hero is

The Bible

The snow

Torn-up French toast

One last Thankfulness item from me - that my daughter read the leaves to me so I could make this list faster!

2 comments:

Jen, this is the coolest idea. I hope I'll remember to do it, maybe even next year -- Titus will be 4, Jon 3, Mike 2, they should be able to contribute.

I somehow missed your last post from November 10th. I think every mom, to some degree, struggles to find herself when there are so many responsibilities, so many unfulfilled dreams, and not a lot of freedom at present. press forward---- I feel you!

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What Remainsby Joanne Heim

If I spend my days building skyscrapers with LEGOs and creating relationships with other moms at Starbucks, but have not love, I am only the siren of the kids’ ride-on fire truck.

If I have the gift of knowing which child attempted to flush the Hot Wheels down the toilet and which one pushed her sister, and if I have faith that somehow we’ll survive life’s emergencies, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I save all my box tops for school and give outgrown clothing to the local shelter, and if I surrender my body to stretch marks and under-eye circles, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient when someone isn’t ready to use the big-girl potty. It is kind when my husband has a hard day. It doesn’t envy my neighbor who drives the new sport-utility vehicle I can’t afford. It is not rude, snapping at my spouse or children when things don’t go my way. It is not easily angered at perceived or real injustices.

It always protects the smallest, sweetest family confidences; always trusts God to provide for my children’s needs; always hopes in the freshness of tomorrow and the bright future of family; always perseveres amid hardship and doubt.

Where there are sleepless nights, they shall end. Where there are diapers, Little League, and dioramas built from shoe boxes, they will cease. Where there is knowledge of baby-care trends, discipline strategies, and boy-girl problems, it will pass away.

Now these three remain: faith, lived out in my daily circumstances and instilled in my children; hope, of one day rejoicing with my family in heaven; and love, which covers over a multitude of less-than-perfect moments.

But the greatest of these is love. It is what remains… long after I am gone.